16. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Ava
Walking up the stairs to the house, I wipe the sweat from my forehead. This is the first run I’ve gone for since coming to Maple Ridge, and it felt good working my muscles.
Bon Jovi’s Shot Through The Heart is blaring through my headphones, and I’m humming along, making my way to the refrigerator to quench this thirst. Grabbing a bottle of water, I close the fridge door.
A scream flies from my mouth; my heart leaps out of my chest, and the bottle I’m holding flies from my hand when I find David standing in front of me. His body shakes as he bends to pick up the water bottle and hand it back to me. The grin he’s wearing shows every one of his teeth.
“You scared me to death,” I yell, making sure to be heard over the music blaring in my ears. His grin gets larger as he points to his ear. Remembering I’m wearing headphones, I take them out. “Sorry. I forgot I had those in.”
“You were singing loud enough for the neighbors to hear you!” He chuckles, leaning against the kitchen door frame. “I thought you were ignoring me. I asked you a question and called you three times.”
“Why would I be ignoring you?” I tilt my head and narrow my eyes at him as I take a swig of water.
“Because I was asking you about Duncan.” It’s his turn to narrow his eyes at me, and the smirk he’s wearing has my face heating.
“What about Duncan?” Trying to play it cool, I walk past him and head into the living room.
Putting my water on the coffee table, I sit on the couch and pour all my attention into untying my sneakers. The care I’m taking with them would have you thinking they were Gucci. Getting up, I put them by the front door and come back to grab my water. I look up to find David watching me.
“Are you going to his game tonight?” He asks casually, but he has that look in his eye—the one where he wants to ask me something but doesn’t know how to go about it.
“Yes, I’m going to his game tonight. What about you and Scarlett?” I ask, walking back to the kitchen. When I get there, I pull the rubber band out and let my hair fall. I take a deep breath and try to slow my heart rate.
David is my best friend and has been since high school. Back then, I would tell him and Fiona everything. It was great having my two favorite people available for advice. But this situation is different.
It’s Duncan. And I’m not sure how to talk to him about Duncan.
Or, should I say, pretending to date his younger brother and all that entails? Which is weird because now that I think about it, he had no problem talking to me when he realized he had feelings for Fiona.
But this situation isn’t about me having feelings, though. So maybe that’s it? This is more like me acting in a new movie with a new co-star. I would talk to Fi about that, but not David.
That’s why this situation is awkward. I never talk to David about my co-stars, except Nathan. But we had started dating by then. Duncan and I aren’t dating; we’re pretending, which is why all of this is uncomfortable.
Yeah, that’s it.
“No,” David yells from the living room. “It’s a school night, so we’ll watch from home.”
Walking toward the kitchen door frame, I stop and lean against it to see David scrolling through his phone.
“That makes sense. How is she when she can’t go to Duncan’s games?” I take another swig of water.
“She’s usually fine. The two of them have a secret code he does at the end of the first period for her.”
Warmth spreads throughout my chest at the thought of Duncan and Scarlett with a secret code. I can’t deny Duncan is pretty adorable when he’s not being a curmudgeon. “Do you know what it is?”
David looks at me with his eyes twinkling. “If I knew, it wouldn’t be secret.”
“Ha. Ha.” I chuck my water bottle at him, making him laugh before he catches it with ease.
“Thank you,” he says, opening the bottle and sipping. “I was thirsty.”
Shaking my head and laughing, he lifts the water bottle and I put my hands out to catch it as he tosses it back.
“A?” David calls out to me just as I’m turning down the hallway to my bedroom. “You’ll want to see this.”
Walking back to David, I see him holding out his phone. His eyebrows are pulled together, and his mouth is in a straight line. When I get close enough to him, I take the phone out of his hand.
The headline staring at me makes my stomach drop.
Nathan Vaughn Speaks Out About His Breakup with Ava Norris.
Without reading anything else, I hand the phone back to David.
“He must be so excited to have the top story at TMZ.” Lifting a trembling hand to my mouth, I take another sip of water. “Let the mud-slinging begin.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” David asks, and I shake my head.
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I shrug and turn away from him, heading back toward the hallway. My stomach is swirling, and my mouth is dry.“It’s only the beginning. I hope I don’t cause any problems for Duncan by dragging him into this.”
If David has a response, I don’t hear it, and I don’t stick around long enough to wait for one.
Walking up to the players' entrance at the arena, I turn to wave at both David and Scarlett as they drive off. Rubbing my hands against my jeans, I take a deep breath. My heart is racing, and I feel like I’m walking down the red carpet for the first time as the lead actress in Kiss Me Maybe?, the movie that put me on the A-list of actresses in Hollywood.
Tonight, I’m a bundle of nerves just like then, but instead of being in a formal gown with cameras all around me, I’m wearing Duncan’s jersey. I run a hand over the number on the front of my shirt, and my stomach erupts in flutters.
There is something about wearing the jersey of a man you’re dating. Apparently, it happens when you’re fake dating one too.
“Ava!” An enthusiastic voice calls from the door. “I’m Sandy Davidson, Tom Davidson’s wife. Duncan asked if I could come out and bring you in.”
We walk toward the door, and the security guard smiles at Sandy. His eyes widen when he looks at me, but he doesn’t say anything. I smile at him, and he nods.
Sandy slips her hand through my arm and pulls me into her, warmth radiating from her in waves. Immediately I feel my nerves starting to settle as she leans in close. She’s the type of person who makes everyone feel comfortable.
“First, I am a huge fan! I’ve seen every one of your movies,” she says excitedly before leaning closer and whispering. “Second, you’re the first girlfriend Duncan has ever had in the players' box.”
“Really?” I ask, unable to stop the grin that spreads across my face. “ I can’t believe that.”
“It’s true. Not for lack of opportunities, mind you. Everyone wants to date the ‘brooding goalie’ whose eyes radiate adoration every time he looks at his niece. That alone makes him pretty swoon-worthy in the hearts of every woman who’s witnessed it.” She giggles, winking at me.
“He is pretty amazing with her,” I say softly. “Scarlett knows exactly how to get past his gruff exterior.”
“You have the same effect on him,” she says, just as we reach the area of the arena we’re sitting in. “It was sweet how he wanted to ensure you weren’t left alone. He’s pretty smitten.”
My stomach swoops, and a swarm of butterflies takes hold at her words. I don’t have long to focus on what she just said because, just then, we arrive at our seats, and she starts to introduce me to all the women sitting around us. I sit down only to have the team song start playing as the Wolverines take the ice.
Leaning on the edge of my seat and watching the players, my senses are overloaded by all the activity in front of me—the sound of blades tearing up the ice against blaring 80’s music. The players move by so rapidly that my eyes don’t have enough time to process their shapes. But I’m not looking for someone who’s moving. I’m looking for the man who stands in front of the net.
Duncan glides over to the ‘basket,’ and once again, I’m amazed at how graceful he looks on the ice. I know it sounds strange because he’s so big and looks even bigger with all his padding, but his movement is effortless. I can’t drag my eyes away.
“Well, he’s not the only one smitten, I see,” Sandy whispers in my ear, a smile in her voice.
I nod in her direction, barely registering what she just said.
The pace of the game is swift and, once again, hard for me to follow. I miss my tutor, who is home waiting for Duncan’s secret signal.
The sound of sticks hitting the ice skates sliding back and forth and screeching to a halt. The slapping that sounds when the puck is hit or passed across the ice. The startling sound of the buzzer when someone scores has all of my senses being pulled in different directions. Despite that, my focus is on the only man I’m interested in.
When the siren goes off, calling the end of the third period, the stand erupts at a Wolverines victory. Like everyone else, I stand up and cheer.
Duncan had a fantastic game, blocking almost every shot taken, and I can’t help but wonder if Scarlett would approve.
“Your man was putting on a show for you tonight,” Sandy giggles, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and squeezing. “That was one of the best games he’s played since being traded to the team.”
“I was wondering what my niece would think. I assume it would be a yes.”
Sandy nods, then points to the ice. “Here he comes.”
I turn back toward the rink, and my gaze collides with Duncan’s. There’s no mistaking he’s looking directly at me. He skates next to where I am sitting, giving me a two-finger salute and a wink. The grin on his lips and the sparkle in his eyes have my heart hammering against my ribcage.
A grin spreads across my face so big that I can feel my cheeks strain—not to mention the heat leaving every limb in my body feeling like jelly.
So this is what it feels like to have Duncan James' sole focus on you. It’s not just intense; it’s like testing out a new ice cream flavor only to find that you never want to eat any other kind.
I’m already addicted.